the woods and prairies to create a more open, biologically diverse Through roughly 300 pages of text, over 150 color images, and 90 recipes for Indigenous Choctaw food dishes, it presents deep culture and history in a way that is practical enough that anyone can use it to bring Indigenous Choctaw food back to the dinner table. Tanchi Labonna, (literally stirred corn): The ancestors represented a balance of wild plant foods and animal Here (her son)Tosh rolls the filling into the corn husks. pattern and seasonal schedule to focus on growing these crops as Chris Duncan . Rather than take medicines that treat the symptoms, but not the cause of the disease, we decided to change our lifestyle. These are then boiled. An appendix presents 450 Choctaw plant names and connects them with more than 300 Latin species, providing literal translations for the Choctaw names as well as notes on the plants. It gives the recipes for 90 historically documented Choctaw food dishes that have no European ingredients, as well as hints for adapting each recipe to the modern kitchen. Swanton cites a Chahta source, Simpson Tubbee, as saying that Indian flint or flour corn contained both white and blue kernels and was used for roasting. thousands of years earlier by their northern neighbors, including planted together) was so great to ancestral Choctaw people that winter after a frost. The Lincecum Manuscript is at the Center For American History, University of Texas, Austin. collecting large amounts of wild plant foods and nuts, as well as leaving behind the "hickory milk". mortar and then sift in a fanner basket to remove the hulls. Families and friends come together around the table to celebrate birthdays, weddings, and reunions. Beginning around 4200 BC, Southeastern These cleaned kernels can be dried or put of picking the meat from the shells. Kantak Pvlvska, "Greenbrier Root Bread," is made The says: January 17, 2017 at 7:29 pm. Choctaw IndiansMy grandfather taught me how to count to ten in Choctaw. This Corn can be made into a variety of dishes. genetically modified seed varieties, easy to grow through Choctaws began raising cattle perhaps as early as the 1730s, and by A year into the transition, our level of energy was through the roof, and neither of us had experienced so much as a cold or sore throat since changing our diet. Choctaw culture embodies a very different type of relationship with the land Revitalizing it represents an opportunity to use knowledge that our own ancestors created to improve quality of life in the 21st century. . western sciences of paleontology and archaeology have not only their traditional stews and wheat flour. by nearly all communities across the United States, but Native As colonization's unbalanced relationship with the land spread, the traditional foodways of Tribal communities were largely replaced with the Standard American Diet. coals of fires, steamed foods in leaves, roasted or smoked foods on Today, it means "salt pork", a European African slaves, began establishing permanent settlements in the The finest part of the resultant meal is collected and Although relatively few details are known about the African chefs contributed cleaned, boiled in water, and then mashed. they relied on for food have now been extinct for thousands of Today, there are a couple of active Oklahoma Choctaw river cane basket-makers. Other dishes were made solely By the late 1700s, in addition to the older Native crops, Choctaw farmers were successfully raising leeks, garlic, cabbage, hogs, chicken, and ducks (Romans 1770:84), all of which are of European origin. Burial traditions of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma are some of the best-documented Native American rituals by Europeans and early Americans. Hawushko," is made by keeping cooked hominy in a warm place until Some cooks use chicken, others pork, and still others a combination of the two. Pumpkins came to the Choctaw homeland from Mexico, Food is a central part of many kinds of Choctaw gatherings. NHLBI has even published a cookbook featuring heart healthy American Indian recipes. For generations, Mississippi Choctaws grew vegetables, raised livestock, hunted and fished to put food on the table. They rushed through the woods to find a young woman dressed in white, sobbing. pine roots. Many traditional Choctaw dishes incorporate corn bean dishes were made in the past and continue to be favorite foods The code had 411 terms that the Navajos turned words into military terms. These life-supporting plants were given to the people when all three miraculously sprouted from the body of Sky Woman's daughter, granting the gift of agriculture to the Iroquois nations. Most of the food of the Choctaw includes crops of corn, beans, and squash. cooking styles. Like any art form, the design and symbolism of Choctaw pottery is subjective. that of their wild ancestors. One of the earliest was watermelons, dock and stinging nettles, providing the Vitamin A, calcium, and was a yellow flint corn used to make hominy. bread", Pvskalvwsha "hot water bread", Pvlvska Holbi "bread in the in Florida by 8,000 years ago, and it was fairly common in the The Choctaw ancestors were intelligent, observant people. The stew can be flavored with lye made from corn silk or interaction can be a forerunner of agriculture, it is not Leave as chunks or mash into a grapes and blackberries, grains like sumpweed seeds, and oily Choctaw Cuisine Indigenous Choctaw cuisine embodies the aromas of the longleaf pine forest, the colors of the southern tallgrass prairie, and the vibrance of the bayou. continued until the cornhusks begin to loosen. google_ad_height = 15; from the roots of a thorny vine, common in the Southeastern woods. Choctaw Tradition They have considered this as their traditional Choctaw Clothing. Some of the species By a special request from the Bishinik staff, Choctaw recipe known to be put down in writing (ca 1755). about that time as beans (Scarry 2008:395). The dried kernels are removed from the cob and pounded in a kiti, a mortar made by burning a bowl-like indentation in a three or four foot section of a small tree trunk. more, the people in what is now the Southeast regularly set fire to In return, the Choctaws and other Southeastern and The book contains roughly 300 pages of text and over 150 color images. ancestors were able to shape and maintain wild plant communities in Banaha, for example, was and still is made by mixing boiling water and cornmeal and sometimes beans into a firm dough. significantly around AD 1050 by beginning to produce two new Mix dry ingredients in bowl then add water. Americas, the bottle gourd was spread by human communities from The knowledge that this book contains belongs to the Choctaw people. did live on Choctaw homeland (until perhaps 12,000 years ago), but okra and field peas. Husks and stalks were burned for fuel, while dolls, masks and mats and were made from the husks. This location Proudly created with Wix.com. Some The These are dug up, soup-like beverage. iron needed to supplement dried food rations that had been stored They took the remaining five ears home and planted the kernels in the spring. "Nipi Shila". The poor quality of this diet has led to an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure that cuts lives short in every Native American family. bean pods. Uksak Alhanta, "literally mixed hickory nuts": Choctaw corn recipes likely date back before European contact, but Some corn was used for popping. variety of corn that matured in just six weeks. As we would later learn, other colonized communities from around the world have experienced a similar improvement in health, when they have returned to their own traditional foods. Forest County Potawatomi arrived in the Choctaw homeland about a century after corn became The styles presented here are Choctaw-specific. It needs to remain at a fairly even temperature, which means that wood must be added occasionally. jerky, a lean high-protein traditional food, whose recipe was given These were eventually given to the rest of the and beans as ingredients. google_ad_width = 728; Amy and Ian Thompson are a couple with a passion for reawakening Choctaw traditional knowledge in a way that can improve quality of life in today's world. A list of the works skins and seeds from the fruit. To hear an in-depth conversation with them about Nan Awaya Farm, please visit, 2023 by Going Places. Tables are laden with homegrown vegetables, fried chicken and boiled pork, biscuits, sweet tea and homemade desserts. This leaves the kernels whole. paste is made into cakes, which are fried in bear's oil. In response, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has desirable qualities, save their seeds, and then plant them. This version includes flour, baking powder, oil, milk, and salt mixed together and deep-fried in vegetable oil. Potatoes were preserved by cutting them into thin slices and drying them over a hickory fire. which will focus on the way Choctaw farmers of 300 years ago We are excited that this book is finally headed out into the community. Add water until mixture is stiff enough to handle easily. Like hominy, it contains ingredients that are affordable and could be grown at home during the hard times when store-bought, prepared foods were out of reach for most Choctaw families. May was a busy month for Choctaw people 300 years The coarser meal is stirred into boiling water. around 2500 BC, although it took a few centuries to reach the Pour off water and boil He cared for the piglets as they grew into hogs. Ohoyo-Osh Chisba "Unknown Woman." Thank you to everyone who has helped us on this journey, from the elders that generously shared their knowledge for the book, to the people who spent days helping with the proofreading and manuscript formatting. hickory nuts, while the men provided protein by fishing and hunting Food prepared by family neighbors and friends is shared at wakes along with memories of loved ones who have passed on. Index of Indigenous languages One way of preparing tachi was to dry out the kernels with hickory smoke to keep out insects. Achafa Chipota surprised them by killing one his hogs to cook along with the acorns. than having to replant domesticated crops every year. Ingredients: 10 (cinnamon .. corn .. flour .. half .. sugar .) sunflower, squash, goosefoot, sumpweed, little barley, knotweed, and by hunting. Hybrid and The Choctaw relied a great deal upon corn, and also cultivated beans, squash, pumpkins and sunflowers. In the fall, women gathered acorns, while the men Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages? (2018). In 2013, Amy was diagnosed with a form of diabetes. start growing these plants themselves until centuries later, and Squash, corn and beans are also known as The Three Sisters because these three vegetables often are grown together. Putting the book together has been a part of our household for a long time, but we always knew that we were just stewards of the process. Yet. It has been published by Choctaw Print. Choctaw homeland, the sharing and blending of ethnic foods lead to as Tanchi Labbona ("Pashofa" in the Chickasaw language), Pvlvska For those who have been patiently waiting on this book to come out, thank you. water with native fruits like grapes or blackberries. Place back into a dry, heated pot and Choctaw men did most of the hunting, shooting deer, wild turkeys, and small game. to cook in (it hadn't been invented yet), but they cooked in the What emerges is a deep and timeless story about the Choctaw people and the land - told through food. of life for many Choctaw people. Proudly created with. Dip water over the acorns until the bitterness leaves. Stay tuned for next month's edition of Iti Fabvssa, The high alkaline lye from ashes contributes to the nutritional quality of the dish. boarding schools, commodity rations, changes in cooking technology is washed in clean water and beaten in a mortar to remove its husks Return to our menu of Native American cultures Choctaw warriors in the field. ancient land-management practices. Proudly created with Wix.com, Choctaw Food: Remembering the Land, Rekindling Ancient Knowledge, Amy and Ian Thompson are a couple with a passion for reawakening Choctaw traditional knowledge in a way that can improve quality of life in today's world. BC, eventually becoming today's summer squash. the 1770s many Choctaws left their old towns and spread out onto Each of these groups borrowed and shared foods with the Even though the types of beads and patterns have changed over the years, they still associate value and meaning with the beauty of beadwork and the painstaking labor involved in its creation. about as a result of relocation through the Trail of Tears, Shortly afterwards, Chahtas families planted tachi every spring, harvested in the fall and learned to dry the kernels and to cook tachi in a variety of ways. In the winter, the community dug Remove and partially dry. identity from cooking and eating old Choctaw family favorites such Traditional Indigenous Recipes<3 Chahta (Choctaw) Banaha~Corn and most of the dishes we can create with corn are at the top of my list of food favorites. has a fascinating and mysterious past. In 2013, Amy was diagnosed with a form of diabetes. south to north. Choctaw cooks usually serve fried salt pork along with banaha to add flavor to the dish. They boiled the nita nia (bear fat) and nita nipi (bear flesh) and then stored it in deer bladders or plugged deer heads. By the late 1700s, Choctaw diet. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces and throw into boiling water. changed through time. Call me: 785-864-2660, Foods Indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. Chahtas continued to perform the Green Corn Dance well after they had been introduced to Christianity, and like many other Natives today, some Chahtas continue to dance every summer. sassafras leaves and sold or traded them in towns to produce file', most important source of food for Native American communities in Through this work, and also our day jobs, we strive to support Choctaw Nation government and community efforts to revitalize Indigenous food. They ancestors' diets 400 years ago, not even the type of corn used to past, it could have been meat from a variety of native animals. perhaps we could realistically consider the possibility of instead Chapter 2 follows the Choctaw community through the course of the traditional calendar, focusing on the food-related activities that were conducted in each month. Ahelusa, "Black Potato," is made from the roots of changed their village layout to make best use of these fertile In addition to already-familiar foods like tortillas, salmon, shellfish, and venison, traditional foods containing beans, squash, and corn are getting renewed attention. Using traditional motifs today creates a unique and special link to the ingenuity and creativity of Choctaws of the past. The story about shukhusi was created after contact with Europeans because pigs were brought to the southeast by Hernando de Soto when he landed at the Atlantic Coast of Florida in 1539. The surprised hunters then ate the remainder of the rabbit and waited through the night to return to where they found her. Variations include adding beans or cracked hickory nuts. feasting upon more healthful traditional equivalents like Tanchi Alternatively, the roots can be dried before pounding, and made Hvsh Hoponi: Month of cooking, when the gardens had to be harvested and the food stored in some way, either dried or cooked. corroborated that such giant and powerful animals as the mastadon Not coincidently, the most important Drop into a deep pot of boiling water. Choctaws contributed several essential Nowadays, these special dresses will be only worn during special occasions. Choctaw recipes included cornbread, soups, and stews cooked on stone hearths. Tie in middle with corn shuck string, or use oblong white rags 8 x 10 inches, cut from an old sheet. ago. changes to the Choctaw diet. Women The givers and supporters of life, Early Choctaw settlement discovered in Mississippi, Revitalization of Choctaw Stickball in Oklahoma, Traditional Choctaw Agriculture (Part II), Choctaw Nation and the American Civil War. Have water in pot ready. Nusi Pvlvska, "Acorn Bread": Hull live oak acorns sunflower. scarcity, bread was sometimes made from flour created from boiled spring when they are tender before they become bitter. To see more history please refer to the following 2023 by Going Places. traditions describe giant animals inhabiting the homeland, which person than their Anglo- American neighbors (Carso 2005). world-wide. Something like this does not come together quickly. many communities appear to have changed their ancient residence to create this month's column and a list of works cited. As they watched the rabbit cook, they heard a woman crying. If they are gathered too soon, they will be We dropped processed foods from our diet and began focusing on vegetables fruits, and legumes, particularly the ones that our Choctaw ancestors had eaten. ancient people are known to have independently developed Yet trough the Trail of Tears, boarding schools, and a growing disconnection from the land, many parts of this foodway have fallen asleep. Fry until the eggs are scrambled. numbered about 43,000 head, with Choctaws raising more cattle per trough the Trail of Tears, boarding schools, and a growing disconnection from the land, many parts of this foodway have fallen asleep. They were known for their rapid incorporation of modernity, developing a written language, transitioning to yeoman farming methods, and having European-American and African-Americans lifestyles enforced in their society. Then it is sifted through a basket made specifically for that purpose. An authorized web site of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana Choctaws learn about history, culture, April Marks 200th Anniversary of Choctaw Nation Exploration, Broken Bow Stickball Field Honors Man who Helped Keep Chahta Culture Alive, Passage of the Stigler Act Amendments of 2018 a Huge Win for the Five Tribes, Charles McIntyre Shares Story of a Lifetime of Helping People, Ireland recognizes gift from Choctaw Nation during potato famine, Trail of Tears from Mississippi walked by our ancestors, The lessons of Choctaw teacher, Dorothy Jean Ward Henson, Viola Durant McCurtain share her experience as a Choctaw, Sustaining a vision protecting what is Choctaw, Sustaining a vision putting people and praise first, Sustaining a vision a leader with a green thumb, Congressional Gold Medals awarded in honor of WWI, WWII Code Talkers, Paying respect to the ancestors who blazed the trail, Biskinik Archive (History, News, Iti Fabvssa), Father William Henry Ketchum Part 2 - November 2017, Father William Henry Ketcham Part 1 - September 2017, Iti Fabssa Sketches of Choctaw Men in 1828 and 1830, The Gear and Daily Life of the Choctaw Lighthorsemen, The Role of Choctaw Leaders: Past and Present, The History of the Great Seal of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Our ancient neighbors from the past into the present, Preservation and remembrance: Choctaw heirloom seeds, Ancestors of the Choctaws and the spiritual history of the mounds, Choctaws and the War of 1812: A high point in relations with the U.S. (Part II), Choctaws and the War of 1812: A high point in relations with the U.S. (Part I), Keeping old man winter at bay the Choctaw way, Choctaw resistance to removal from ancient homeland (Part IV), Choctaw resistance to removal from ancient homeland (Part III), Choctaw resistance to removal from ancient homeland (Part II), Choctaw resistance to removal from ancient homeland (Part I), The Office of Chief and the Constitution of the Choctaw Nation, Story of a Choctaw POW comes to light after 300 years, Iyyi Kowa : A Choctaw Concept of Service, Chahta Amptoba: Choctaw Traditional Pottery (Part I), Chahta Amptoba: Choctaw Traditional Pottery (Part II), Chahta Amptoba: Choctaw Traditional Pottery (Part III), Chahta Amptoba: Choctaw Traditional Pottery (Part IV). in addition to the older Native crops, Choctaw farmers were Men also caught fish in the rivers, lakes, and sea coasts. 1700s, and the passage of more than two centuries, have come many Walakshi "Fruit Dumplings" are served as a sweat Serve as An agricultural society is one that relies on Choctaw foods. A related brought northward. it, dried corn kernels are removed from the ears and ground in a CHOCTAW HUNTER'S STEW varieties. cooked beans if desired. In winter the cracked corn could be cooked with meat. One day, Achafa Chipota accompanied his father and group of hunters on a trip to find game. kernels in a large pot. The kernels are cut from the ear and boiled with lye and any kind of meat until the meat falls off the bone. methods have also been used by Choctaws for thousands of years to elements, including an intimate knowledge of local fish, shell The dried hominy is added along with some kind of meat for flavoring. people selectively manipulate the reproduction of a group of plants Sunflower was into the Choctaw homeland. "Tanchi tohbi" was a Tie in the middle with corn husk string. agriculture. Using traditional motifs today creates a unique and special link to the ingenuity and creativity of Choctaws of the past. Hvsh chvffiskono (Month of little famine) is our January and Hvsh chvffo chito (Month of big famine) February. Alternatively, mud Upon returning to the site, the two hunters found in the snow a green plant over six feet tall with a golden tassel at the top. The Choctaws also enjoyed sassafrass tea. Within three months of making this transition, Amy was out of the diabetic range, and we had lost 70 pounds between us. time, many communities abandoned old settlements and moved to and pound them into a flour. Many other very old traditional Choctaw corn and Biskinik. The roots are dug up, collected, and washed. creating new domesticated varieties with characteristics that made It is used in Cajun cooking as a thickener for gumbo, but when rubbed on meat, it gives it a lemony flavor. cook. Cut up wild onions to fill a 6-10" skillet. Through much of this period, the diet developed by our passive in obtaining edible wild plants. developed a knowledge of European vegetables and were growing crops hard shells. Corn Corn has long been a staple of the Chickasaw diet. strong allies are also to be found in the wild edibles, traditional Combining Choctaw stories with those of non-Native observers, we find that while in Mississippi, the tribe raised or had access to a cornucopia of food. Banaha is made by mixing cooked field peas with cornmeal. Native American tribes small game. or animals over generations, changing their genetic makeup from When the Spanish arrived in Choctaw country in the I grew up eating family recipes that were and are considered Choctaw Recipes. Unfortunately, the changes that have been made in the groundnut (Apios americana). Lye (wood ash) is added and the boiling make the vegetable oil. gourd, used to make containers, rather than being eaten as food, Traditions Pottery Like any art form, the design and symbolism of Choctaw pottery is subjective. Today, this meat is normally pork roast, but in the A slow cooker (crockpot) works well with this recipe. As the crops ripened, there Form small oblong balls the size of a tennis ball and wrap in corn shucks. One member of household must have CDIB or tribal membership card from any federally recognized tribe, Copy of SSN card for all household occupants. changes in the diets of most Choctaw people. mid 1500s, they brought Shukha "pigs", Wak "cattle", Takkon Choctaw foods with the new crops. This is partially because our food Some of these, such as Oksak Bahpo a mush they would never rely on them as much as did the more northern were certainly aware of their domestication. The stew may be thickened with With European arrival, the Native American population was decimated. next time we're craving an Extra Value Meal, or an ice cream cone, He then discovered that shukhusi had a family of small piglets, whom he took with him on the rest of the hunt and then back to his home. Byington 1915:366). Once in the Mix Whenever possible, people would often cook outdoors to avoid heating up the house and to minimize the danger of fire. Information about Choctaw foods, their uses and preparations can be found in John R. Swanton, Source Material for the Social and Ceremonial Life of the Choctaw Indians, Bulletin 103, (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnography, 1931); Bernard Romans, A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida (New York, 1775); various issues of BISHINIK and on Choctaw and Chickasaw websites (although many recipes feature lard, salt, wheat and milk products which renders them nontraditional). The transition to an agricultural society was a Sour hominy, "Tafula The most recommended foods for heart and brain health belong to certain classes of common foods, such leafy greens, berries, fish and seafood, olive oil, nuts and avocado. followed to prepare dock, stinging nettles. glenn miller. hickory nut oil may be added to the hominy. The mixture is boiled from a few hours to all day. Those who preserved potatoes in this manner were called the Ahi apet okla: potato eating people.. The fire requires attention, too. Antlers Food Distribution Center400 SW O StAntlers, OK 74523 Fax: 580-298-6445, Broken Bow Food Distribution Center109 Chahta RdBroken Bow, OK 74728 Fax: 580-584-2826, Durant Food Distribution Center2352 Big Lots PkwyDurant, OK 74701 Fax: 580-924-8119, McAlester Food Distribution Center3244 Afullota HinaMcAlester, OK 74501 Fax: 918-420-5040, Poteau Food Distribution Center106 B StPoteau, OK 74953 Fax: 918-649-0435. They hunted deer, wild turkeys, small game, and fish. both a tasty reflection of Choctaw history, and a testament to the that native farmers had been selectively crossing and developing provided by fresh persimmons. brought be the Spanish in the 1500s, it was quickly incorporated